Land near golf course sold to new real estate firms

Monday

May 5, 2008 at 1:45 PMMay 5, 2008 at 1:46 PM

AARON AUPPERLEE Staff Writer

BARSTOW — A group of real estate investors has bought land surrounding the Barstow County Club.

About 259 acres of land south and west of the golf course, which is off of Country Club Road in west Barstow, was bought by a group of investors, said Matt Brown, a broker for The Hoffman Company, who worked the deal.

Brown said the investors intend to build a mix of homes on the land, hoping to cater to employees at the proposed Barstow Industrial Park and the expanded Southern California Logistics Airport in Victorville. He said the investors expect a majority of the people moving into the homes will either be commuters to jobs down the hill or Barstow residents looking to move up.

"That area could really use houses," Brown said. "This western area in the city limits, there's almost no housing there."

The project is part of a broader Sun Valley development plan, Brown said, and is north of the proposed SunCal Waterman Junction development. It is too early in the process to know how many homes will be built on the land, but Brown said about 3,000 to 4,000 new homes could be built in the area. The homes could be ready in three to five years, he said. Brown did not outline any plans for the golf course.

The land around the now-closed golf course has changed hands among developers looking to turn the property around. In 2006, five different bidders presented plans to the Barstow City Council and bid on the property. John Rader, a spokesman for the city, said developers from MGM Development LLC bought the land.

Brown said the investment group recently bought the land from a group of individuals. Despite a skidding national housing market, Brown said the market in Barstow is still attractive to investors and developers.

"Barstow has a healthy population and they have a healthy workforce," Brown said.

He also noted that the development impact fees are lower in Barstow than in other areas. The City Council voted in April to postpone an increase development impact fees slated for August 1.